Let the Decorating Begin!!!

Holding to what has become a family tradition for us, on Thanksgiving day after our big meal had settled some, we headed outside to begin to put up the Christmas lights on the house.  We had given away loads of working lights before our move and threw out any that weren't functioning.  We even had 3 full boxes of never opened lights in our collection.  Kevin had taken all of these out the night before and tested them all and even left them plugged in for awhile to be sure they were working.

Lights laid out and on for testing

So, with all this preparation done the process of hanging the lights began.  We chose to use our white "icicle lights" and I'd bought clips for hanging them on this house, as we no longer had the tracks up that we had installed on our last home for placing the lights into.  Kevin and Cameron worked as a team moving their ladders while the other held the already installed lights to keep the whole string from coming down, (just saying we had some experience with this - smile) and Grandma, the girls and I all held ladders, handed clips or new sets of lights to continue the progress.

Icicle lights being strung

Grandma and girls running in yard as Kevin and Cameron prepare lights

They placed the lights over the garage and around the first corner to just in front of the entry door, when we ran out!!  The lengths listed on the front of the boxes may have been the total feet in the string WITH the icicle parts, but it definitely was not the linear length of the string sets, because we were really short of the area we needed to cover. 

Then, after all his careful preparations, when the lights were turned on, Kevin found the ones in the middle of a set just at the garage peak were all out.  He carefully took out and test each light and the fuses and couldn't find any reason for that section to be out.  So needless to say our first attempt at putting up the outside lights was a dud!!

We turned them on anyway, even with the dead middle section, and just determined to buy new and finish the job over the weekend, as there is NO WAY I will be out and about on "Black Friday" shopping with all the mobs at the stores.  So, jump ahead to early Saturday morning and Kevin and I headed out to Walmart, then Lowes and actually decided to purchase 3 rolls of larger LED lights to string up on the house. 

Second attempt - A SUCCESS!

Cameron and Kevin were now pros with their ladder system and using these new clips, and made good time getting the light up over the whole front of the house, the side and in back of Hannah's room.  Then attaching an older string of similar lights they strung them over and around Cameron's shed to finish the job.  YAY, we have lights!!  We still need to put up more decorative items and these are now in the planning stage, but the main feature is done.

Evening front view

Evening side of house view

Evening garage and Cameron's shed

Lights at night

Tree in Kevin's office up and front door - Think I need a bigger wreath : )

Garage and shed, night view

So, on to the interior and trying to figure out where I'll put things this year.  After 12 years in our old house we had a system down for where decorations went.  We'll just have to work out a new plan for here and keep it fresh with some new additions.

Check back and see our progress.